OK - Here's this from the "Online Etymology Dictionary":

"posh

1918, of uncertain origin; no evidence for the common derivation from an acronym of port outward, starboard home, supposedly the shipboard accommodations of wealthy British traveling to India on the P & O Lines (to keep their cabins out of the sun); see objections outlined in G. Chowdharay-Best, "Mariner's Mirror," Jan. 1971. More likely from slang posh "a dandy" (1890), from thieves' slang meaning "money" (1830), originally "coin of small value, halfpenny," possibly from Romany posh "half." "

Also, the only part of speech I saw listed across several entries for "posh" was adjective.

Ann

I found this in the 'Ask Oxford' website.

What is the origin of the word 'posh'? Printer Friendly Version

The story goes that the more well-to-do passengers travelling to and from India used to have POSH written against their bookings, standing for 'Port Out, Starboard Home' (indicating the more desirable cabins, on the shady side of the ship). Unfortunately, this story did not make its appearance until the 1930s, when the term had been in use for some twenty years, and the word does not appear to have been recorded in the form 'P.O.S.H.', which would be expected if it had originated as an abbreviation. Despite exhaustive enquiries by the late Mr George Chowdharay-Best, researcher for the OED, including interviews with former travellers and inspection of shipping company documents, no supporting evidence has been found.

And who watches Balderdash and Piffle? :-) Sorry if that's been discussed before. I'm new and see there are 14 pages of this!

Ann's extract is my understanding of "posh" - but note the word was used as a noun in Victorian slang, and it was given to a character in Grossmith's Diary of a Nobody (the rather flash Mr Murray Posh, who gives Mr Pooter's son extravagant ideas).

The formation "a bit of" + adjective is also slangy but not unknown. As in "a bit of rough", but we won't go there.

Thanks, all, for the "research".And I
had forgotten all the times they turned adjectives into nouns with a "bit of". It made me smile.

According to my search, we haven't yet had "revise" (UK) vs. "study" (US/NA). Am I wrong?

In English North America, "revision" is something you do to a manuscript--you edit it, improve it, or otherwise alter it in some way. Before an exam, a student "studies" or "hits the books." Possibly students will also "review" material before an exam (the verb would always take an object in this context), but not revise.

You are right Naomi - here, you study something when you are learning it and then you revise it to refresh your memory (or desperately try to finally get it to stick in the brain !) before an exam. There are revision classes and revision timetables etc., I had never thought about this one before.

Right. I guess I should point out though that "to study" can also be used in a more general sense:

– What are you studying at university?
– I'm studying anthropology and chemistry.

However, British students don't study a subject at university they "read" it. Or is that only Oxbridge?

quote:

Originally posted by beebee:
However, British students don't study a subject at university they "read" it. Or is that only Oxbridge?

I've certainly heard that often enough in films/books from the UK. It was never clear to me whether the two (study vs. read) were interchangeable or not.

Also, I just realized I made a Canadian mistake earlier. While technically you could say,"What are you studying at university?" I'm pretty sure that, for undergraduate university studies, the Americans would more commonly say, "What are you studying at college?"

The American use of the word "college" has confused me many a time. Any Americans care to add their two cents here?

I think "read" as opposed to "study" reflects both the days before experimental sciences (when reading was pretty well all that study could consist of), and also the idea that you read a lot of what interested you, and then brought what you read (and what you thought about it) to the teaching process and ultimately to the examinations (rather than the other way around). So you read History but you study how to be an accountant. Allegedly.

That's a nice explanation, Patrick.

Another confusing one for the English is Americans saying 'school' for college/university. ' Where did you go to school ? In England this would only mean your education up to the end of secondary level (18ish - pre-college/University) unless you specifically meant an art school.

It also used to be, and probably still is a bit of a loaded question in some ways in England as it could be an enquiry as to whether you were privately educated and of what 'rank' your school was.

(Some) English Unis have the position of Reader on the academic staff.

In Canberra, in Australia, college is grades 11 and 12. John, is it the same in New South Wales where you are? Then they go on to University.

So I have one son in college, doing grade 11 and one in first year University.

Leslie

I don't know if there is a general rule.
There are some Colleges exclusively for grades 111 and 12, but for in most schools it is just part of school. My son is in year 12 but no one calls it college.

The word which really is starting to annoy me here in England is 'moreish.' I hear it more and more. I wonder if it has yet hit the States. I don't know if there's a U.S. equivalent - can't think of one that conveys the same meaning. But I do wish people would stop using it! :-)

I hadn't noticed that 'moreish' was being used more frequently - but it is a bit of a twee word. Is it ever used without 'rather' in front?

LOL! You're right, Panda. There is always an adjective in front of the word.. either rather or very or the equivalent. I wouldn't be surprised if that expression gets passed over to the States. My husband makes a hobby of seeing which expressions turn up and where (part of his work).Do you know the origin of 'twee?' All I can think of offhand is tweedle dee.

The Shorter OED says "twee" comes from a childish pronunciation of "sweet" (early 20th century origin)

Yes, that seems to be exactly right. I found this..

When "twee" first appeared around 1905 it was used as a simple synonym for "sweet" and carried no noxious connotations, but within a few years its use had narrowed and it has been used ever since in a purely sarcastic sense. Today almost anything that strives too hard to be adorable or affecting, from Disney's simpering cartoon epics to Martha Stewart's holiday decorating hints, could justifiably be described as "twee."

Some more twee: Mabel Lucie Attwell and Patience Strong.

I'm sure I've heard this.

"How about another piece of cake?"
"Yes. It's a bit moreish, isn't it?"

I like the word moreish. We use it a lot in school in the late summer term when we make "smores". They are crackers wih marshmallow and chocolate melted on them. I do a cooperation theme at the end of each year based on the movie The Sandlot Kids. The recipe comes from there.

I find the word wholesome. It makes me think of desserts.

John, that's exactly what I've heard, too, at times. And many cakes certainly are moreish! I grew up eating smores each summer in Philadelphia, and they are fantastic. But I still don't like the term moreish. I'd say it's my American ear, but Leslie seems to refute that idea.